What exactly is the rapture???

Question

I recently left the religion i was raised in, and they didnt teach it or mention anything called the rapture. I've just started hearing about this. What exactly is it??? Only serious answers please! Thanx!

Answer 1

Prominent in the prophetic scenarios of Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye and other Protestant evangelicals has been their teaching about the secret rapture of the Church. All of the increased emphasis given to Bible prophecy in recent years has drawn much attention to the subject of the rapture. Perhaps you have even seen the bumper stickers on automobiles announcing that "in case of the rapture, this car will be without a driver!"

Most evangelicals who write or speak on the subject of prophecy assume that the key end-time event for Christians is the secret rapture. What exactly is the rapture? What does the Bible teach concerning it and is it the only hope for end-time Christians? There is a great deal of confusion about this and many aspects of prophecy in the professing Christian world. However, the real truth is both knowable and provable when we look to the plain, clear teachings of the Bible, rather than to the ideas and theories of men.

The term "rapture" is used nowhere in the Bible. It is a term that has been invented by men and applied by them to what they term "the first phase" of the Second Coming. The Bible itself, however, nowhere says that Christ’s coming will occur in phases.

A nineteenth century British preacher, John Nelson Darby, was the one who developed the rapture teaching and began to promote it in the 1830s. He was the founder of the Plymouth Brethren Church and developed a scheme of scriptural interpretation called dispensationalism. The idea of the dispensationalists is that God has had different rules for different groups at different times. For instance, He had the law for the Jews and now we have grace for the Church.

Darby’s teachings were refined and popularized by C. I. Scofield, an American lawyer and minister who authored the noted Scofield Reference Bible at the beginning of the twentieth century. Primarily through Dr. Scofield, Protestant evangelicals came to generally accept the teachings of both dispensationalism and the secret rapture. These two ideas go hand in hand to blind many sincere people to God’s real message to Christians in the end time.

Proponents of the rapture point to 1 Thessalonians 4 as their primary proof of a "secret coming." They then proceed to divide all scriptures that discuss the return of Jesus Christ into two categories. First are the scriptures that discuss the resurrection of the saints and their gathering to Christ. Secondly are the scriptures that discuss Christ taking vengeance on wicked and rebellious people and nations.

The Bible uses the Greek word parousia to refer to the return of Jesus Christ numerous times. It is a term, which was often used in a secular context to refer to the coming of a king.

It carries with it no connotation of a secret coming. Four occurrences of the word are in Matthew 24. In verse three Jesus’ disciples asked Him for the "sign" of his parousia (or coming). In verse 27 Jesus compares His parousia to the visible spread of light from east to west when the sun rises. In verses 37 and 39 He compares His coming to the time when God’s judgment came on the pre-flood world in the days of Noah. None of these verses are descriptive of any secret or clandestine coming.

The word parousia is also used in 1 Corinthians 15:23 to refer to the event which will accompany the resurrection of the saints. In 1 Thessalonians 4:15 it is again used to refer to the event which accompanies the resurrection of the saints. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 describes Christ destroying the final false prophet, the man of sin, at His parousia (coming). Clearly His parousia will not be a secret event, but rather a time when He will begin to execute judgment on the ungodly.

In chapter two of 2 Thessalonians Paul explains that true Christians would be able to know the time when Christ’s parousia was approaching. He explains that there were events, which had to precede the coming of Christ (v. 3). He simply was not going to be coming "any minute."

A secret rapture? The Bible teaches no such thing! It does teach, however, that Jesus Christ is going to come back in power and glory to rule this world and to bring salvation to His saints. We can and should be aware of the signs of the times, not oblivious to the events that are going to plunge the world into the most hellish time in its history.

Also, we are enjoined to be zealously seeking God in prayer and putting our hearts into the work of preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to the whole world.

Answer 2

The word "rapture" does not occur in the Bible. The concept of the Rapture, though, is clearly taught in Scripture. The Rapture of the church is the event in which God removes all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment to be poured out on the earth during the Tribulation period. The Rapture is described primarily in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 describes the Rapture as God resurrecting all believers who have died, giving them glorified bodies, and then departing the earth with those believers who were still alive, who have also been given glorified bodies. "For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

1 Corinthians 15:50-54 focuses on the instantaneous nature of the Rapture and on the glorified bodies we will receive. "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). The Rapture is the glorious event we should all be longing for. We will finally be free from sin. We will be in God's presence forever. There is far too much debate over the meaning and scope of the Rapture. This is not God’s intent. Rather, in regards to the Rapture, God wants us to “encourage each other with these words.”

Recommended Resource: The Rapture: Who Will Face the Tribulation by Tim LaHaye.

Answer 3

There's a book you should read. It's out of print but you can probably find it on the net. It's called The Rapture a Question of Timing by Kimball. The rapture is a fairly new doctrine that teaches that Christ will return before the tribulation and sneak the Christians away. I don't believe in it. I believe Christ will return after the Antichrist is revealed as the Bible teaches. It's not popular amongst Christians these days not to believe in it. I've been ridiculed for it but that's what I believe. I hope you will read the book. God bless!!

Answer 4

The time period "rapture" is a intent of a lot confusion. The Second Coming of Christ is taught in I Thess four, wherein the believers are "stuck up" to satisfy the Lord Jesus, however the phrase "rapture" used to be now not related to this occasion till latest occasions. The Nicene Creed makes connection with Christ's coming: "And He will come once more in glory to pass judgement on the dwelling and the lifeless. His kingdom shall don't have any finish" so it is transparent that Christians have believed that from the establishing. The change is that the Church has continuously believed that the terrible issues in that point finish with the "catching up" whilst Christ returns to earth to set up his everlasting kingdom. A new instructing from the 1800's cut up the rapture and the Second Coming, setting apart them by means of an severe time of situation that the Christians are rescued from. The Bible does now not train that we're rescued like this. In truth, Jesus shows that if the worries were not stopped (now not the believers rescued), there might be no believers left in any respect on the earth (Matthew 24:22; Mark thirteen:20). Revelation 14 shows there are saints maintaining "the religion of Jesus" on the planet throughout the inner most aspect of the tribulation. So, in step with the historical teachings, Christ's subsequent coming will likely be his last one. We are "stuck up" to satisfy him within the air, and from there go back to earth wherein his kingdom is founded.

Answer 5

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. In Latin, the words "caught up" is translated "rapturo" which is where we get the word "rapture". This is not the second coming. Jesus is not coming to earth until 7 years later at the end of the tribulation when he sets up His millenial kingdom on earth.

Answer 6

I did a search for a website explaining the Rapture but they all were written for the purpose of proving it or disproving it, I wanted to find you a page that only gave a description.

There is a series of books out that are based on the Rapture though that might interest you, they are called the Left Behind series. http://www.amazon.com/Rapture-twinkling-countdown-Prequel-Products/dp/141430580X/ref=sr_1_8/002-2418354-6520021?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182909118&sr=1-8
On this site page it explains the Rapture when you read the book's information and the reviews that are posted on it.

Diane

Answer 7

The word RAPTURE is not in the Bible, per se.

It was coined by a 15 year old girl in 1830 named Margaret MacDonald and turned into a BUZZ word in 1860 by a New Age evangelist.

It describes something found in the Bible in which all souls will be called up to heaven.

You know, like BEAM US UP Scotty in Star Trek

The CONCEPT is in the BIBLE

The WORD is not found in the KJV

You can use any word you want, including BEAM US UP

It means the same thing

It's a NEW AGE

APOTICIPTICAL phrase

Answer 8

It is a false new age Christian teaching (about 200 years old) that states that Christ will supposedely "rapture" or take out all Christians from the earth in an instant and leave the rest world in chaos from the coming great tribulation (reign of the anti-christ).

Answer 9

The rapture will take place when God comes back after his church. It will take place during or before the Great Tribulation and will be a wonderful time for all the people who are blood washed and ready to meet him.Just read the book of Revelation and you will understand.. God Bless you..

Answer 10

FIRST of all, the word 'rapture' isn't found anywhere in the bible.

What's in the bible is this:

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words. "


The Christians which are alive and left shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

This is what they might be referring to as 'rapture', but again the word 'rapture' is not in the bible.

All prophecies and the words of God in the bible shall come to pass.


Luke 1:37

"For no word from God shall be void of power. "


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http://esoriano.wordpress.com
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Answer 11

In simple terms God create a creature with the capacity to question the existence of supernatural entities. When they use the intelligence he was so furious that put a sin to all the humans for as long they live in this planet.
In the end he will destroy the entire creation, including my innocent cat, and put all the people in an unfair judgment ruled by him, no attorneys allowed. That loving God will decide if you are good enough to expend the eternity in a perfect heaven or bad enough to be send to a burning hell. A new planet with perfect people will float in the vast Universe.

.............please send me to HELL !!!

Sorry I forget, Jesus is coming back.